The Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN) https://nutritionnigeria.org, the nation’s leading professional body for nutrition professionals, continues to spearhead transformative nutrition efforts through research, innovation, and multisectoral collaboration. NSN convenes annual scientific conferences that bring all stakeholders in nutrition in Nigeria to share knowledge and networking opportunities. The Society works as a proud affiliate of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) and a key regional stakeholder. NSN has recently taken on the coordination of Grand Challenges Nigeria (GCNg) https://grandchallengesnigeria.org—a national innovation platform advancing scalable solutions for nutrition, food systems, health, and equity. In collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria, development partners, and the global Grand Challenges network, GCNg fosters dialogue, funds bold ideas, and accelerates local solutions through a research-to-impact model.
In alignment with IUNS goals, NSN is also preparing to lead Nigeria’s participation in the upcoming IUNS-International Congress of Nutrition (ICN) 2025, to be held in Paris, France. NSN is engaging stakeholders across academia, policy, and the private sector to showcase Nigerian-led science and best practices. Plans are underway for a Nigeria Side Event at ICN 2025, focused on “Scaling Local Innovations to Address Africa’s Nutrition Burden.” NSN remains committed to fostering global networking, promoting evidence-informed policymaking, and sharing context-driven innovations to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 on Zero Hunger. We welcome collaboration with fellow IUNS member societies in co-hosting side events, participating in regional forums, and fostering South-North and South-South Collaboration and learning exchanges.
The Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), the country’s largest interdisciplinary nutrition consortium, has leveraged oversix decades of leadership in nutrition policy, advocacy, and programming. Its landmark achievements include spearheading the development of Nigeria’s National Nutrition Policies (1992 and 2016), the National Strategic Action Plans, and supporting the establishment of the Vice President-chaired National Council on Nutrition. In 2022, NSN significantly reshaped the nutrition research landscape in Nigeria by enhancing capacity and launching implementation science grant awards. Building on this momentum, in 2024, NSN established Grand Challenges Nigeria, which now plays a pivotal role in advancing maternal and child health through ten innovation grants, scalable solutions, and robust multisectoral partnerships.
The Society is currently prioritising a $5.2 million Strategic Work Plan (2022–2026), anchored on a five-pillar strategy:
- Research and Learning – addressing national skill gaps and strengthening academia-government linkages.
- Capacity Building – establishing regional competency hubs to bolster technical proficiency.
- Policy Advocacy – targeting diet-related non-communicable diseases (DR-NCDs) and undernutrition.
- Monitoring and Evaluation – enabling real-time surveillance among vulnerable populations.
- Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) – promoting awareness and behaviour change for improved nutrition outcomes.
NSN remains open to partnerships in co-designing implementation research for Nigeria’s Multi-Sectoral Plan of Action for Food and Nutrition, contributing expertise to capacity-building workshops and webinars, peer-reviewing Grand Challenges Nigeria proposals, collaborating on sustainable diet policy frameworks, and providing funding and technical support.
For more information, please visit: nutritionnigeria.org
NSN Strategic Workplan (PDF)
Grand Challenges Nigeria
NSN 2025 Conference Draft Flyer from COC 11April2025Download
Source: https://iuns.org/2025/07/nutrition-soci ... eadership/
